Botanical designation: Rosa hybrida.
This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Hybrid Tea Rose. The varietal denomination of the new variety is xe2x80x98WEKsunspatxe2x80x99. It has as its seed parent the variety known as xe2x80x98FRYxoticxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,718) and as its pollen parent the variety known as xe2x80x98WEKamandaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,591).
Among the features which distinguish the new variety from other presently available commercial rose cultivars known to the inventor are the following combination of characteristics: its many stipitate glands at the base of the foliole on the petiolule, its green tones on the outermost petals, its broad variation in stem length and leaf size, its small and large prickles on the peduncle and its long vase life. The plant has a somewhat upright to moderately spreading growing habit, suitable for outdoor garden decoration.
Asexual reproduction of the new variety by budding as performed in Kern County and Upland, Calif., shows that the foregoing and other distinguishing characteristics come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding asexual propagations. xe2x80x98WEKsunspatxe2x80x99 may be asexually propagated by cuttings, budding and grafting.
The new rose may be distinguished from its seed parent, xe2x80x98FRYxoticxe2x80x99 by the following combination of characteristics: whereas xe2x80x98WEKsunspatxe2x80x99 produces double flowers (about 23 to about 30 petals) of soft apricot washed with green, xe2x80x98FRYxoticxe2x80x99 bears apricot pink flowers with significantly higher petalage (about 36 to about 40). The new variety has a moderately rough peduncle, with some stipitate glands, a few small prickles and often one to two large prickles, and bear several large prickles on the major stems, whereas the seed parent has an almost entirely smooth peduncle, with very few stipitate glands, and bears significantly less large prickles on the major stems.
The new variety may be distinguished from its pollen parent, xe2x80x98WEKamandaxe2x80x99 by the following combination of characteristics: whereas xe2x80x98WEKsunspatxe2x80x99 produces double flowers (about 23 to about 30 petals) of soft apricot washed with green, xe2x80x98WEKamandaxe2x80x99 bears yellow gold flowers shaded with green of significantly higher petalage (about 43 to about 49 petals). The new variety has a somewhat upright to moderately spreading medium to tall mature growth habit (about 160 to about 200 cm. in height), whereas the pollen parent has a bushy more upright significantly shorter mature growth habit (about 95 to about 130 cm in height).